A Nightmare To Remember
by TheSolarisProject
Summary: Fluttershy was involved in an accident involving one of Rainbow Dash's flying session gone awry. Now, at the persistence of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she relives the pain she felt during her recovery. Based off the Dream Theater song of the same name.


_Welcome, everypony!_

_...what's that? You want more Fluttersparkle prison story? Sorry. Nothing doing. But how about something with Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Dream Theater? I thought so. Let's get right into..._

* * *

><p><strong>A Nightmare To Remember<strong>

**Fanfiction by:TheSolarisProject**

**Part I:A Bullet From The Night**

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer:I do not own any copyrighted material in this fanfiction. My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic and its content is owned by Hasbro. Dream Theater's "A Nightmare To Remember", off the album "Black Clouds And Silver Linings", is © 2009 Roadrunner Records. All rights belong to their respective owners.<em>

* * *

><p>Fluttershy's cottage stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest overlooking the small town of Ponyville. The cottage was empty except for the many animals that Fluttershy took care of. Not one of them made a sound as the moon slowly rose up from hiding. The room was dully lit by a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling with a tattered felt covering. One window in the far corner was open, allowing the crisp, cold air to enter the room and keep the animals cool. The room was neatly kept as if a maid had just finished sprucing the place up. Outside, the crickets chirped their lovely tune that filled the air and put the young fillies to sleep.<p>

The silence was broken, however, when the door to the cottage opened. In walked Fluttershy and three young fillies behind her.

"Did you see the way she stared that Cockatrice down?" Scootaloo, the young pegasus said. Her orange wings were flapping softly with excitement as she remembered Fluttershy's amazing feats. "She just stared that thing right in the eyes! As it was turning her to stone! IT WAS SO AWESOME!"

"I know!" Sweetie Belle, the little unicorn piped in. She had a look of joy that matched Scootaloo's. "She took care of that Cockatrice in no time! It was like getting rid of a tiny bug!"

"Ah was so nervous, too," Apple Bloom, the small earth pony added. Her bright yellow skin tone twinkled beautifully in the moonlight. "Ah honestly thought we were all done for. But then Fluttershy stepped in 'n showed that Cock-ah-thingy who's boss!"

"All right, girls, settle down," Fluttershy said with an embarrassed smile. "I know it was pretty impressive and all, but I wouldn't have had to do any of it if you three didn't wander off searching for my chicken."

The smiles faded off the young ponies' faces. "We're mighty sorry, Fluttershy," Apple Bloom gloomy said. "We just thought that if we could get your chicken back, we might finally get our cutie marks. Ah don't think any of us were thinking clearly."

"Yeah," Scootaloo said grimly. "We didn't want to make you worry or anything, Fluttershy. We're sorry for almost getting you into really deep trouble."

"Oh, girls," Fluttershy reassured them, smiling at their sad expressions. "It's okay. I forgive you." She bent her head down to their level. "Just don't do it again, okay?" she said more sternly.

"We promise!" they all said in unison.

"You won't tell Rarity, though, will you?" Sweetie Belle nervously asked. "I'd hate to think what she'd do to me if she found out."

Fluttershy chuckled. "Oh, don't you worry about Rarity. She's already got too much on her hooves right now to handle you three. I won't say a word."

"What about Applejack?" Apple Bloom questioned.

"Nope, I won't tell Applejack either. Now, why don't you three get up into bed? I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in."

"Okay, Fluttershy!" Scootaloo said as they all ran up the stairs, indistinctly talking to one another on their way up. Fluttershy sighed to herself as she closed the door to the cottage. Her pet bunny, Angel, hopped up from the floor onto Fluttershy's back and walked up to her head. Fluttershy smiled at her pet.

"Those three are quite a handful, Angel," she said to the white bunny as he sat down to sleep on her head. "And I thought they were going to be so easy to handle, too. Boy, was I wrong."

She stared out the window. It had started to rain a bit, and Fluttershy could feel the cold breeze brushing along her mane, chilling her to the bone. "But I guess the worst is over now. Looks like they're finally done for the day."

Fluttershy walked over to the stairs and put her hoof on the first step. When she did, however, a sharp pain rose up her right wing. She jumped in pain and knocked Angel off her head. Angel gave a disapproving stare and left for his small house. Fluttershy was grimacing in pain, startled at the sudden shock she received. She opened her eyes and look at her wing. It appeared to be fine from the outside, but Fluttershy knew why it hurt so bad.

"Oh, please, not now," she prayed to herself. "I don't want the young ones to know. They're not old enough yet."

Fortunately, the pain was subsiding, and Fluttershy continued to walk up the stairs. When she reached the top, she opened the door in front of her and saw the three already huddled into the bed. Fluttershy smiled as she walked towards them. They had certainly calmed down quite a bit.

"Well, girls, I know you've had a fun time tonight," Fluttershy said as she shut the window to keep the rain out. "But now it's time to sleep. For real this time."

The girls blushed as they remembered how they pretended to go to sleep for Fluttershy just so they could do more crusading.

"Now, try to get some rest, you three. You have plenty of time tomorrow to try to earn your cutie mar-"

Fluttershy was cut off as the pain shot up her wing again. She gave a small shriek of pain as she tucked her wing close into her armpit. Her face tightened as she braced herself against the pain. The three fillies looked at her, shocked and confused.

"What's going on, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked, one of her eyebrows rising. Fluttershy opened her eyes in panic. She quickly tried to hide her painful expression.

"Oh, um, nothing," she lied. "It's, uh, nothing at all..." She tried forcing a smile, but it came out very weak.

"Are you sure?" Sweetie Belle said in an unconvinced voice. "You don't look okay. What's wrong with your wing?"

"Nothing, it's fine," Fluttershy continued to lie. "Good night , girls."

Fluttershy quickly turned around and tried to walk out the door, but Apple Bloom stopped her.

"Come on, Fluttershy, you can tell us. What's th' matter? Did you hurt your wing while you were fendin' off the Cockatrice?"

Fluttershy sighed and turned her head back around, still holding the door open with her hoof. "No, not while I was fending off the Cockatrice."

The three fillies exchanged confused looks. "Then why is it hurting, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Look, you three, it's geting late," Fluttershy said softly. "You need to get some sleep or you won't be able to wake up in time for Rarity to pick you three up tomorrow."

"But what about-" Sweetie Belle began.

"I'll tell you all in the morning. Good night, girls."

Fluttershy shut the door. The three fillies looked at the ceiling, trying to decipher Fluttershy's odd behavior.

"What d' ya reckon happened to Fluttershy?"

"I don't know, but she looked like she was in a lot of pain. Something definitely happened to her wing."

"She said that she didn't get injured while fighting the Cockatrice. So how do you think she got hurt?"

"Ah don't know, but ah don't think we'll be able t' find out 'til mornin'. We might as well get some sleep."

The three ponies closed their eyes and drifted into sleep, dwelling on Fluttershy's cryptic injury.

Downstairs, Fluttershy was sitting at the table next to her bed, soothing her wing. Angel was standing on the table, handing off supplies to Fluttershy when she needed them.

"I didn't want them to find out," Fluttershy said, worried. "Not like this, anyway. I couldn't tell it to those children. I have a hard enough time thinking about it myself."

Angel, uninterested in Fluttershy's predicament, continued to help her relax her wing. Her muscles were tightening up, and if they tightened up so much that they pulled, Fluttershy wouldn't be able to fly anymore. Luckily, Fluttershy had many years worth of experience treating sick animals and ponies, so she had no trouble applying the proper care to her wing.

"But I guess I have no choice now," she sighed. "They're just gonna keep asking me about it until I finally give in and tell them the whole story."

She slowly flapped her wing, unsure if the muscles had loosened enough. With each complete flap, she pushed them faster and faster, until she tried to lift herself off the ground. This proved a bit too much, and her muscles started to tighten again. She landed on the ground with a small thud and looked up. Angel was already running around, trying to get more painkillers and wondering to himself why Fluttershy tried to fly so quickly.

"Oops," Fluttershy said, embarrassed. "I guess I went in a little too fast, huh?"

Angel just looked away and concentrated on his task. Fluttershy stood up and looked out the window. The moon was in the shape of a cresent. Just like THAT day...

She stared blankly out the window as Angel fed her more pills. She stared at the moon and thought back to the terrifying ordeal, trying to remember as much as possible so that she could tell the full story to the children.

"I wish I could forget everything, Angel. I wish I could just move on like everypony else did."

She climbed up into her bed and, being careful not to accidentally put pressure on her injured wing, laid down on the mattress. Angel hopped out of the room as Fluttershy grabbed the covers with her mouth and dragged them over her body.

"Yep," she said to herself. "That certainly was a night to remember."

Fluttershy closed her eyes. The pattering sound of the small raindrops on her window lulled her to sleep, and soon, she was drifting into the awful memories of the event.

"More like a nightmare to remember..."

* * *

><p>The sun came way too late for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three filies barely got any shut-eye that night due to their anxiety. They couldn't wait to hear what she had to say, and it ate at their stomachs, preventing them from sleeping peacefully. In contrast, the sun came way too early for Fluttershy. She, too, had gotten very little sleep that night. She was so worried about how to tell her story to the young ponies that it kept her awake in her bed. And it didn't help that her wing still ached from the previous day.<p>

Then, all four of them heard a noise outside. It was the chime of the Ponyville bell, which rang every morning at 6:00, signaling the start of a brand new day. The bell rang across the sky until it reached the cottage, filing in and filling the quiet room with sound. Upon hearing the bell, all three of the young ponies jumped up from their bed and raced downstairs.

"Fluttershy?" they all called, anxious to hear what she had to say. They ran into Fluttershy's room and saw her climbing out of her bed. Her face turned to slight panic when she saw them enter.

"Oh, hi, girls," she said with a nervous chuckle. "My, you're up early today."

"Well, we couldn't sleep at all last night," Scootaloo answered for all of them. "We couldn't wait to hear about what happened to your wing."

"Oh," Fluttershy responded, her heart sinking hearing the young filly's words. "Well, let me just make myself some tea, and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

The three ponies nodded and ran out of the room. Fluttershy sighed to herself. "Come on, Fluttershy, you can do this..." She gulped. "I hope..."

She walked to the door and pushed it open. She could see that the three young ones were playing with each other, occupying their time while they waited for Fluttershy. She walked across the room, careful not to get in the way of the three as they ran around the room laughing. She walked into the kitchen and leaned up on the counter, reaching up to the cabinets above her. As she fiddled around for tea bags, her wing acted up again. She shrieked as she tucked it in and rubbed it with her hoof.

"Keep it under control, girl," she told herself. "You can do this...you can do this..."

She once again stood up on the counter and felt her hooves around for the tea bags. When she found one, she took it out and placed it on the counter. She then grabbed her tea kettle and placed it in the sink, turning on the water to fill it up. As it filled, she grabbed a tea cup from a cabinet to her left and placed it on the counter. She then turned off the water and put the tea kettle on the stove, turning it on simultaneously with her hoof. She grabbed the tea bag in her mouth and dumped it into the water. She stared out the open kitchen door and watched the children playing. She began to smile watching the children play with each other.

"Look at them," she said to herself. "Playing with each other without a care in the world. They're so carefree and innocent."

Then she lost her smile. She bent her head down to the floor and sighed.

"Just like I was before the incident..."

She snapped out of her trance just in time to hear the kettle boiling. She pushed it off the heat and turned off the stove. She grabbed the kettle's handle in her teeth and poured the tea into the cup. Steam rose from the drink as the cup was filled to the brim. She put the tea kettle back on the stove and picked up the cup by the handle with her mouth. Being careful not to drop the cup, she brought it out into the room where the children were still playing. She sat down at the table and put the drink down.

"Okay, girls, you've waited long enough," she said with a frown. "Come on over here and I'll tell you the whole story."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders dropped what they were doing and instantly ran over to the table. They each sat down at the table next to each other, silently watching Fluttershy sip her drink. Fluttershy tried to think exactly what to say as she drank her hot tea. She returned her head from the drink as she looked at the three ponies, all gazing directly at her. Fluttershy sighed.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you is something that very few ponies know," she began. "And anypony who does know was sworn into secrecy. You need to promise me that you won't go out talking to everyone about this, okay?"

The three fillies nodded, keeping their eyes focused on Fluttershy.

"Alright, then...how do I begin?"

Fluttershy bent down to sip her tea again. The three ponies across from her stared at her with blank expressions, all waiting impatiently to hear what she had to say. Fluttershy swallowed her drink and continued.

"Now, you all know that Rainbow Dash is the best flier to come out of Cloudsdale, right?"

Scootaloo stood up and flapped her wings excitedly. "She's not just the best flier in Cloudsdale! She's the best flier EVER! She's so awesome!"

"Scootaloo," Fluttershy said with an annoyed, yet still calming tone. "I know that you really look up to her, but if you may, sit back down and let me tell my story."

Scootaloo's cheeks turned bright red as her wings folded back into her body. "Oh, yeah...heh...sorry..." she said softly. She sat back down and hung her head low while her two best friends looked at her with a mix of sympathy and annoyance. Fluttershy cleared her throat and continued.

"Well, believe it or not, as good as Rainbow is, there was a time where she messed quite up a bit during one of her flight sessions. And on that particular night, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

* * *

><p>"Are you absolutely sure you want to try out this new trick of yours right now, Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "It's supposed to get dark really soon."<p>

"I'm sure!" Rainbow Dash responded cheerfully. She was stretching out her wings with a wide smile spreading across her face. She arched her back and scratched the ground with her hooves. "Don't you worry, Twilight! I'm the best flier to come out of Cloudsdale! I can handle a little bit of darkns obscuring my vision!"

Twilight was unconvinced that Rainbow had any idea what she was getting into, but she wasn't one to argue with Rainbow. She was a persistent arguer, after all. "Well...alright, if you say so," she said. "Just be careful, alright? Try not to crash into anything. Or anypony..."

Rainbow just laughed and squinted her eyes. "Come on, Twilight. Lighten up! What's the worst that could happen?"

With those words, Rainbow bowed down and focused her attention on the cliff's edge in front of her. She licked her lips as she built up strength in her muscles. Twilight backed up, knowing that when she was about to take off, she was like a time bomb waiting to explode. Rainbow looked around to see if her field-of-vision was all clear. When she knew it was, she pushed her hooves forward and took off, leaving a cloud of dust and a very worried Twilight Sparkle behind her.

Rainbow's face lit up in a bright smile as she flew through the night sky. She whizzed through the clouds still hanging in the night sky, clearing out a trail of emptiness behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her path, knowing that one mistake could ruin the entire trick. She twisted and turned through the clouds as the ponies who decided to stick around and watch her flight session below watched in awe. Rainbow went faster and faster, making sharper and sharper turns, until she finally broke off from the clouds, all the while still keeping her eyes closed. She opened her eyes and tilted her head towards the sky. What she saw brought a huge smile to her face.

"Aw, yeah!" she shouted to herself. "Rainbow's the queen!"

The ponies below her were also amazed by the spectacle before them. Rainbow had cleared out a pattern in the sky that was strikingly similar to her cutie mark - a patch of clouds with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt shooting out from it. The cloud drawing was held as an even greater accomplishment by those who knew that Rainbow has done it blindly and purely off of memory.

"Who's the greatest?" Rainbow gloated to herself as she continued to speed through the sky. "I'm the greatest! Who's the best? I'm the best!"

Rainbow's cheering was cut short, however, when she felt something crash into her body. Without any time to react, she started to plummet towards the ground, carrying whatever hit her on her chest. Rainbow impacted the ground head first and slid for quite a distance before finally coming to a rest. She tried to stand, but her front hooves were broken. Her wings, however, were undamaged. She took from the ground and looked behind her.

"What in the hay just hit me?" she thought to herself. She flew over to the site where she crash-landed. She saw the limp body of a pony in front of her.

"Is that..."

Her heart sank. Rainbow recognized the shape and color of the pony's mane, as well as her wings. Her mouth gaped open as Twilight came up behind her.

"Great job, Rainbow!" she congratulated, unaware of the circumstances before them. "You did it! Way to go!"

Rainbow quickly turned around and panicked at the sight of Twilight. "Quick," she yelled. "We don't have much time. We need to get to the hospital right away!"

Rainbow's demeanor caught Twilight by surprise. "Why?" she asked. "What's the matter?"

"It's Fluttershy," Rainbow told her, nearly out of breath. "She's hurt!"

* * *

><p><em>DRAMA AND SUSPENSE! OH NOES!<em>

_So...don't expect part 2 for a while. It took me the good chunk of 2 days to write this, and I don't expect to be working on this throughout the rest of the week, but hey, you never know. Thanks for the read, anyway!_


End file.
